


Fireworks

by KingFabulous



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-12
Updated: 2014-08-12
Packaged: 2018-02-12 21:26:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2125233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingFabulous/pseuds/KingFabulous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eden plans a surprise for Xherdan, who has never celebrated Bonfire Night before, meeting many of their friends along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. EDEN

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bluemadridista](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemadridista/gifts).



> A Shaqard fanfic featuring as many of my favourite adorable ships as I could fit in :D Hope you enjoy reading it!
> 
> This is a birthday gift for my amazing friend bluemadridista <3

EDEN

“Are you nearly ready?” I called through to Xherdan, nervously checking my watch.

Gandalf had sprawled himself in the doorway, and I almost tripped over him as I strode into the bedroom in search of my boyfriend. He always managed to choose the most inconvenient places to curl up… it must have been a typical Golden Retriever trait, as Cesc had told me Ponque often did the same thing. We still loved him though, of course – I mean, who could resist those eyes? I bent down to ruffle the fur on top of his head, which triggered a contented little growl.

“Almost!” came Xherdan’s voice from across the room. He had his back to me, still adjusting his collar in the mirror and pulling some of the most concentrated and unintentionally sassy faces I’d ever seen. “I’m sorry for taking so long”

“You’re as bad as a girl sometimes” I teased, looking up at him whilst still tickling the dog absent-mindedly.

He gave a little chuckle as he turned round to face me. “How do I look?”

“Exquisite” 

He laughed again. Probably at my pronunciation of the word. I got to my feet and grabbed a scarf from the open wardrobe.

“You’ll probably need this” I smiled, draping it around his neck and smoothing it out, leaving my hand resting on his chest.

“I thought you said it was a party? Why will I need a scarf? I am so confused!”

“Trust me, you are going to love this Xherdi. I promise.”

“I do trust you” he said in a low voice, leaning over to softly kiss the tip of my nose. “I just have no idea what you’re up to!” He attempted a reproachful tone, but the light of excitement was flickering in the deep brown of his eyes.

“Okay, well… it is a party. But I don’t want you to get cold, that’s all.”

“Are we gonna be outside?”

“Possibly.”

“Ugh, do you have to be so cryptic?!” he gave me a playful shove in protest. “Look, am I gonna be alright wearing this? Can you at least tell me that?”

I made a pantomime of surveying his outfit in evaluation. He’d picked out a pair of black slim-fit jeans, with a pale blue shirt which was teasingly tight around his chest and impressive biceps. He left the collar open, but had laid out his favourite dark grey blazer on the bed to take along for added warmth. I already knew his attire would be more than suitable, but I’d never pass up the opportunity to check him out.

“Yeah, that’ll do, I guess” I winked, before pulling him into an embrace.

We were interrupted by Gandalf brushing against our legs as he forced his way in between us and plonked himself down on my foot with an expectant bark. Always begging for attention.

“God, he’s getting tall isn’t he” Xherdan remarked, scratching behind the dog’s ear. “He’s already at my knee when he’s sitting down, it’s ridiculous!”

“That’s just because you’re a midget, darling”

He shot me a derisive look. I was, after all, only an inch taller than him, and he knew it. “Can I just point out he’s up to your knee too, Hazard”

The dog stared up at both of us, tongue out, ears back, innocent eyes wide. Entirely oblivious.

“Alright, alright, point taken.” I laughed. “I think he wants food anyway, doesn’t he. I’ll go sort him out whilst you finish off... whatever you’re doing”

“Yeah sure. I won’t be long” he smiled, and returned to the mirror. 

“Come on then Gandalf!” I ushered our dog out of the room with a lively, excitable voice. As I made my way down the stairs, I called back up to Xherdan - “Oh and can you bring me a scarf down too? I forgot!”


	2. MARIO

MARIO

My head jolted backwards against the seat of the car. My teeth were clenched, my breathing coming in sharp, convulsing bursts as I shot yet another load into Marco’s hot, damp mouth. I had a scruff of his pristine blonde hair clenched in my fist, whilst the other hand was interlocked with his own. 

Come on, we had to do something to fill in the time, right?

We were parked in a side street, a vantage point from which we could see Eden and Xherdan’s house without being visible ourselves. Xherdan had told me this was where I had to wait, and I could have sworn he said they were leaving at half seven, but it was already ticking past eight and their car hadn’t moved from the driveway.

“You’re unbelievable” Marco sighed, manoeuvring himself back onto his seat. I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that, but took it as some form of convoluted compliment nonetheless.

“Any sign of life from over there yet?” I inquired, once I’d got my breath back and redressed myself.

“Not that I can see, no”

“Ahh I’m sorry about this… he said they’d be out by now…” 

“Well if they’re not out in the next five minutes, it’s your turn to suck my dick.” He said it in such a matter-of-fact way which would have been almost comical had it not belied the fierce hunger disguised in his intent stare. He held his gaze for a few more seconds before adding – “And besides, you owe me. I’ve agreed to come and meet one of your München friends. You know that’s not exactly –”

I seized his shoulder and pulled myself onto his lap, shoving my tongue into his open mouth before he had a chance to continue. I wasn’t going to let him venture into that kind of territory. I knew full well how much of a big deal this was for him; he didn’t like hearing about my experiences at Bayern, but he was usually too polite to call me out on it. The very fact he’d flown to England with me simply because of Xherdan’s invitation was a huge leap forward, yet I realised we were still walking on metaphorical eggshells with regards to the whole thing.

“Mario” he mumbled. 

The word smudged against my lips. I tried to press on but I felt him pulling away.

“Mario. Listen to me a second, would you?”

I reluctantly sat back on my heels, still straddling his lap.

“I don’t want this to spoil our weekend, okay? Yeah, alright, you have a new team and new friends now, but you’re still mine and I’m still yours and nothing will ever change that. We’re getting through it. I want to make you realise I’m not angry anymore. I’m here, aren’t I?” 

He paused as though he was anticipating a response. I just continued staring into his eyes, wary of any further reproach.

“The München thing was a joke, Mario. I’m sure Xherdan is a great guy… even though I’m technically fraternising with the enemy here”

His face broke into a grin, as if to underline the fact that he was trying to make light of the situation.

“Does that make me the enemy too then?” I winked, leaning closer into him and shifting my position on his thighs.

“Of course not! That is… unless you want to be?”

I could feel his dick hardening beneath me. I ran a hand down his torso, unbuttoning his jeans and teasing them down when I got to them. He arched his back a little to help me.

“Well if I’m the enemy…” I breathed, seizing his hips to slide his boxers down and free his growing cock. “… then I’m mounting a surprise attack…”

I swooped down and took his length slowly into my mouth, emulating the movements he had lavished upon me earlier. Dipping up and down, I raised my eyes to meet his, which were squinting in an effort to disguise his pleasure. I was satisfied to see how I’d reduced him to powerless surrender, given that it was only a matter of minutes since he’d been reprimanding me.

We continued this way for some time, and I was lost in the moment until I caught the sound of his voice, strained and alert above me.

“Oh… oh…hold on baby, you’re going to have to stop…”

“Are you getting close?” I let him fall out of my mouth.

“No… well… maybe… look over there though!”

I reluctantly detached my gaze from my boyfriend’s manhood and glanced out of the window. I caught sight of Xherdan getting into the passenger side of the car over the road, before its rear lights indicated it was reversing.

“Shit.”

Marco was supposed to be driving.

“Just go, we can’t afford to lose them cos I have no idea where we’re actually going. He just said we had to follow the car”

“Mario, I’m half-naked and really fucking hard, I–”

“I’ll sort you out. Just go!”

He started up the engine, and swerved out of the side street as soon as we were at a sufficient distance from the other car so as to not be spotted.

Whether by saying ‘sort you out’, I’d meant doing the honourable thing and subtly redressing him, or trying out some road head and bringing him to climax, I hadn’t quite decided. 

A surprise attack is nothing without the element of surprise, right?


	3. FERNANDO

FERNANDO

I hated it when Sergio was angry with me. 

Okay, hang on – let me amend that.

I hated it when Sergio was angry with me and we weren’t in bed. Angry Sese fucks were rather spectacular. But in everyday life? Yeah, angry Sese was never a good thing. I was lucky enough to be able to say that it didn’t happen often, but when he got annoyed, damn did he get annoyed. His anger had very odd ways of manifesting itself, but I’d always know. I was too in tune with his psyche to remain oblivious.

As soon as Juan arrived, I knew I’d made my Sese angry.

We were standing together by the wall-height window in casual conversation, both clutching delicate champagne glasses as we admired the impressive view across the darkening November sky. The venue was hardly glitzy per se – a quaint cricket club nestled in a leafy suburb, which was set upon a slight incline so as to command breath-taking views across the cricket pitch from our current position. Eden and I had attended the Bonfire Night display here every year we’d been in London, as opposed to the glamourous and star-studded yet energy-draining inner city display that the majority of the team chose to frequent. We didn’t exactly blend in here, and usually had to sign a few autographs and pose for the odd photo with anyone who recognised us, but in general, it was much easier to keep a low profile at a smaller, more intimate event. And sometimes it was nicer to keep a low profile if possible – especially on such a magical night as this.

“What’s he doing here, Fer?” Sergio muttered to me under his breath, nudging me in the side as he spotted Juan wandering through the double doors at the opposite end of the hall. Poor baby looked completely lost; wide-eyed, trembling and alone.

“I… erm… I kinda invited him, Sese” I replied quietly, focusing my attention on trying to catch Juan’s eye, in order to avoid seeing the incredulous look on my boyfriend’s face.

“You invited HIM?”

“Sese, don’t be like that. He had no plans for Bonfire Night and his English isn’t fantastic so he didn’t feel like going to the big show with everyone else and –”

“And you thought it would be a good idea to bring him here, did you? Fernando, you told me it was just gonna be Eden, Xherdan, and the two of us! Why did you invite your stalker?”

“He’s not a stalker, Sergio.” I growled, taking a couple of steps away from him and towards Juan, in the hope of making myself more visible to my former team-mate through the crowd. “He’s my friend. And JUST my friend, okay?”

“I flew over here to spend a beautiful weekend with you, and to see some of our friends – of all the people I didn’t really want to run into, I reckon Juan Mata would be pretty near the top of the list.” 

“What is your problem? You play on the national team with him, don’t you? And in case you’d forgotten, the two of you get on rather well. What’s brought all this on?”

“You know how he feels about you, Nando. You know, and you still invited him.”

I wheeled around to confront him but he had turned his back and stormed off towards the bar. Brilliant. I’d made my Sese angry. 

“Ola” called Juan simply, having finally spotted me. “I’m so glad I found you.” He reached my side and gave me a tentative hug.

“Ola Matita” I summoned a winning smile, trying to push Sergio’s jealousy to the back of my mind. If he needed some space to be a diva, then so be it.

“Is everything alright?” asked Juan, taking an infinitesimal step backwards and surveying my facial expression as though he’d only just properly noticed it.

“Ohh yeah… everything’s fine… Sergio’s just being a bit – nah, you know what, it’s fine. How’s Manchester treating you, amigo?”

His doe-eyed face still bore a look of concern, but he took my cue to change the subject and moved swiftly on. As he talked, I found my eyes drifting over his shoulder to where Sergio was standing across the room. He had been accosted by a young girl of about nine who happened to be wearing a Real Madrid shirt. Playing the star, it would seem. Feeding his ego.

In hindsight, I should have known that it was never going to end well. As well as being able to sense whenever Sergio was angry, I also had a pretty good idea of the things that put him in that mood too. After finding out that Juan had the mother of all crushes on me, Sergio had begun to resent any interaction between the two of us. No matter how many times I told him that I belonged to him and always would do, he always felt uncomfortable with the idea of Juan being in my life. His majestic, strong exterior disguised a profoundly sensitive soul within, and I was the only one who was ever allowed to see that.

The one thing I didn’t know about angry Sese was how to calm him down. He always seemed to need time to sort that himself. 

I returned my gaze to Juan and continued talking to try and relax him a bit. I hoped it wouldn’t be too long before Eden arrived to cut the tension.


	4. EDEN

EDEN

“You might want to put your scarf on” I grinned at Xherdan, as we got out of the car. “We’re gonna be outside for a bit first, if that’s alright with you?”

“Of course, yeah.” He had a bemused look on his face. If he’d been anywhere near as observant as usual, he would have spotted the various event posters on our way in to the cricket club, and probably put two and two together to work out my surprise for him was a Bonfire Night display. Then again, even that knowledge wouldn’t exactly spoil anything, since Xherdan had lived all his life on the continent, without ever having celebrated Bonfire Night. He may have pretended otherwise, but the look in his eyes was one of complete oblivion.

I led him out through a gate in the low picket fence which marked the border between car park and cricket pitch. It was barely recognisable as a sports field tonight though, as an enormous pyramid of wood had been constructed right in the centre, and was currently burning fiercely like a dancing beacon of brightest amber. The warmth was tangible even from where we stood, and as we wandered closer it intensified, bringing much appreciated relief from the biting cold. I turned around to look at Xherdan’s face, which bore a look of astonishment.

“What do you think?” I grinned at him, taking his gloved hand in my own.

“It’s… it’s… well, it’s monstrous, isn’t it.” I couldn’t help but laugh. He did have a point. I mean, technically, it was just a massive pile of burning wood. “But it’s beautiful, Eden. So beautiful…”

We joined the crowd already gathered around the bonfire, and were presently approached by a young woman carrying a box of marshmallows on a string around her neck, trailed by two small children who were barely identifiable as human beings owing to the amount of warm layers they were cocooned in.

“Would you like some?” she asked brightly, offering us the box.

“Oh of course… thank you” I promptly took a handful of marshmallows, sharing them out with Xherdan before reaching instinctively into my pocket for my wallet. 

“Don’t worry – they’re free as long as you have a ticket?”

“Really? Ah that’s very kind of you” I produced our tickets which had been stowed away in my jacket pocket. She took out a black marker and made a discrete scribble in the corner of each one. I don’t know why, but I found the gesture oddly endearing and human. So this is the kind of thing normal people do. I’d almost forgotten, having spent so long in the world of celebrity.

“Just so we know you’ve already had some” she smiled by way of an explanation as she handed me the tickets back. “We’ve had people trying to claim extra, you see. Kiddies mostly, of course. These two have already had more than enough, but then again, they are trailing after me, so...”

We both laughed appreciatively, our eyes directed towards the children for the first time.

“Hold on a second, I’ll get you some sticks so you can toast them…” she unzipped her coat pocket and fumbled around in search of two skewers. From behind her, I heard a little squeal of excitement, as one of her children exclaimed – “That’s Eden Hazard!” – tapping his sister animatedly on the shoulder and pointing up at me with glee. The way he pronounced my name was amusing. I grinned and crouched down in front of the young boy.

“That’s right” I said simply. “And what’s your name?”

“Michael.”

“It’s good to meet you, Michael. Do you like football?”

He nodded enthusiastically, seemingly unable to formulate any further sentences.

“And which is your favourite team?”

“Chelsea!” He proclaimed without hesitation, already knowing this was the right answer.

“Good man” I laughed. “And do you know who this is?” I pointed up at Xherdan, who suddenly looked embarrassed. Michael shook his head nervously. “This is Xherdan Shaqiri. You know, he’s going to play for Chelsea too one day” I winked up at my boyfriend. Running joke.

“Jordan Sha- Shack –”

“Shaqiri” corrected Xherdan warmly, crouching down beside me.

“Will you remember that, Michael?” I continued.

“Yes!” he giggled. 

“You found out before anyone else!” I watched as his face lit up once more. 

“Mr. Eden, can we have a photo with you?” His sister, who was even smaller than him, shuffled forwards as quickly as her sparkly wellies would allow her. “Mummy, can you take a photo with Mr. Eden? Pleeeeeaaase?”

Their mother, who had found the skewers by this point, was watching the four of us with a contented smile.

“Well only if he doesn’t mind?”

“Of course not” I smiled “We don’t mind at all.”

She took out her phone and we rearranged ourselves – Xherdan and I crouched down with the two children standing gleefully in front of us. She snapped a couple of pictures before Michael and his sister trotted over to her, unable to contain their excitement at seeing how they’d turned out. We got back to our feet and took the skewers from her.

“You two are so good with children” she smiled. “Thank you. They’ll be over the moon”

“It was our pleasure”

“Hope you have a wonderful night” she rounded up the children and motioned for them to wave goodbye. As we walked away, I caught the sound of Michael’s voice again –

“Twice in one night, Emma! This is amazing” 

For a second, I pondered what he could have meant by ‘twice in one night’. I assumed they’d perhaps run into Fernando, if he’d already arrived, but had no more time to give the matter any further thought, for Xherdan had grabbed my hand and was leading me closer to the bonfire.

“How close do you need to get to toast them?” 

I took a second to register what he meant. “Oh… I don’t know actually… I’ve never tried toasting them on a bonfire before”

“Well that’s disappointing” he laughed. “You’re supposed to know what you’re doing here, Hazard” He threaded three marshmallows onto one skewer and handed it to me, saving just two for himself. I opened my mouth to protest at the inequality but he reached over and lightly placed a finger to my lips.

“We can give it a go from here, I guess… it already feels pretty damn hot”

I stuck my skewer out in front of us, somewhat awkwardly, owing to our maintained distance from the actual flame. Xherdan laughed and did the same. We stood like that for a while, before he casually linked my free arm with his, and rested his head on my shoulder with a contented little sigh. I felt my breaths becoming fuzzier, as I closed my eyes and relaxed into this newfound proximity.

It didn’t take very long for the marshmallows to toast, and after allowing them to cool down a little, we fed them to each other like infatuated teens in some corny Hollywood rom-com. I was quite honestly past the point of caring that we were in public, or indeed that we were both professional footballers: we were simply a couple. In love, and relishing each other’s company.

We took a leisurely stroll around the bonfire, weaving in between the excitable crowds and admiring the striking vistas. I was just about to lead him inside for the next part of his surprise, when he suddenly took out his phone and turned his back to me. When he finished whatever he was doing, he had a mischievous grin on his face.

“Okay, so I’m not sure if you’re done with your surprises for the evening, or whether you’ve still got more up your sleeve… but I prepared a little surprise for you too…”

“You’ve done what?” I couldn’t help but smile.

“Well… you know you said you always wanted to meet a few of my friends?” His eyes suddenly lit up, and he made a dramatic waving motion to somebody behind me. I wheeled around to see two figures approaching us enthusiastically, having recognised Xherdan. The taller one was wearing a striking yellow and black scarf, however it was the other man who caught my attention. 

“Is that… Mario Götze?! Oh my god…”

“Eden, meet Mario!” Xherdan gestured towards the shorter of the two men, who offered me his hand with a winsome grin.

“Hey buddy… It’s awesome to finally meet you at last” He offered me his hand. “Xherdan has told me lots about you”

“Oh wow… can I just say, your goal against Argentina was incredible”

Mario laughed. “That’s what they all say now. My entire career is gonna be defined by that one goal, I can just tell!”

“Oh, but it was amazing… Jesus, I feel so starstruck right now, I’m sorry!”

“Eden Hazard fangirling over my boyfriend?” cut in the taller, blonde man beside Mario, who had until now remained silent. “Wow, there’s something I thought I’d never see!”

“Oh, this is Marco, guys… as I’m sure you know” said Mario, gesturing towards his companion with a look of – was that anxiety? 

“Nice to meet you both” smiled Marco politely, shaking both of our hands. I suddenly cottoned on. Rivals.

“Yeah, Marco, I’m guessing Eden’s not exactly a bit fan of München either so you two have that in common” Mario joked, grinning at his boyfriend playfully, then turning to address me again. “Xherdan told me how you’ve been trying to persuade him to move to Chelsea”

“Well of course I have! It would be amazing to play on the same team – and it would save us shitloads in travel expenses…”

“Tell me about it” muttered Marco. It could have been a disgruntled dig at Mario, but there was a glint of amusement in his eyes as he said it. Xherdan said something appreciative in German that made the other two burst out laughing and left me oblivious. I got the impression that Mario’s transfer was no longer a sore point, at least.

“Hey look, we were just about to go in to get some drinks and watch the fireworks, do you want to join us?” I continued, before stupidly realising that was probably the main reason they were here.

“Of course, we’d love to!” Mario replied for both of them, and promptly fell into step with me as I led them towards the clubhouse.

‘Twice in one night.’ Well, that’s who Michael must have meant.


	5. XHERDAN

XHERDAN

Sometime between the four of us finding a secluded table at the side of the hall and my returning from the bar with a round of drinks, Fernando Torres had turned up - seemingly out of nowhere - and joined our group. Eden was in conversation with him as I plonked a glass of wine in front of him and greeted our Spanish amigo. 

“Fernando! Nice to see you again!” 

He gave a strained smile in return, raising a limp hand to pat my shoulder. I looked around for Sergio, but couldn’t locate him anywhere in the crowd.

“You haven’t brought your man with you tonight?” I inquired, wary of having missed any major developments.

“Oh, he’s here.” Fernando sighed, fiddling absent-mindedly with a beer mat. “Somewhere…”

I was alarmed to find him in such a dejected state, and shot Eden a concerned look in search of an explanation. He gestured for me to lean over.

“Nando was just telling me” muttered Eden in my ear “Sergio’s having a bit of a diva strop over Juan” He enunciated the last sentence under his breath, lest the aforementioned Juan should hear.

It was only then that I noticed the small man sitting bolt upright on the edge of the seat next to Fernando. He was wearing a white shirt that looked a size too big for him and a black bow tie which rested at a stubbornly wonky angle. He was wringing his hands together furiously, his sad eyes fixed on the back of Fernando’s head. I didn’t recognise his innocent, bearded face, but worked out that he must be Juan Mata. There were a further three seats on his other side between him and Marco Reus. He didn’t seem particularly keen on socialisation.

“Um… hi” I introduced myself to Juan, if only to break the ice and encourage him out of his shell. “Do you two want drinks?” I extended the question to Fernando too. “I’ve bought the first round for everyone else, so I wouldn’t want to leave you out”

Juan declined politely. Fernando ordered a triple vodka and coke. That, to me, cemented my hunch that he was in a bad place – whenever we’d been out with him before, he always drank cider.

Returning to the bar, I found the familiar leonine figure of Sergio Ramos leaning casually on his elbows, staring listlessly into an empty shot glass. Whether he was intoxicated, depressed or seething with anger, I couldn’t tell. I wasn’t sure whether to interrupt or not, instead choosing to clear my throat loudly before ordering, in the hope he would be alerted to my presence.

“Xherdan! Hey, how are you doing, man?” he perked up as soon as he registered who I was.

“I’m good thanks” I put an arm around his shoulder and gave him a one-armed hug. “You?”

“Yeah, I’m… I’m alright. I think.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Okay well maybe not but… it’s not important…”

“Sergio. I get the feeling that’s not entirely true. Come on, you can talk to me?”

“It shouldn’t be important. It shouldn’t” He pounded his forehead with his fist, clenching his teeth. I gently seized his wrist and held his arm steady.

“Maybe it shouldn’t… but it clearly is. Come on…” I took Fernando’s drink from the bar, and led Sergio away to the nearest empty table.

“It’s that creepy Juan guy AGAIN!” he exploded as soon as we sat down. “Why is it always him? Seriously, why is he always just THERE? He’s a constant threat, Xherdan. He’s always lurking in the background, waiting to pounce on my Nando as soon as my back is turned… Do you know what that’s like? I’m constantly comparing myself to this guy, constantly trying to outdo him, constantly trying to win over my own fucking boyfriend…”

He paused and helped himself to Fernando’s drink, downing it in one.

“Sorry… I’ll get you another one…” he mumbled, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“It’s alright. Just, tell me what’s happened?”

“What? Tonight?”

I nodded.

“He invited him. That’s why he’s here, my boyfriend invited him. He KNOWS that I feel uncomfortable around him; he KNOWS that Juan just wants to get into his pants, and yet, he still invited him. It’s like he just doesn’t care, you know?”

“He does care.”

“How do you know?”

“Look, I won’t pretend to know the ins and outs of this whole thing” I began tentatively. “But… well Eden’s told me how Fernando had a really hard time a while back –”

“Don’t you think I know that already? I was there for him, every night on Skype. I fucked around with my training schedule, staying up into the early hours to comfort him and try and make him feel better and –”

“I know that, Sergio.” I said quietly. “And so does he. He must have appreciated that more than anything. But during the day, when he was feeling lost, and he couldn’t reach you, who was there for him then?”

“Juan.” Sergio growled, without hesitation. His hands were curling into fists once more.

“Yes, exactly. Listen to what you’re saying. You’re talking about a man who helped your boyfriend when you couldn’t be there for him. That’s a really honourable thing to do. No wonder it’s left them with a strong friendship!”

“Yes, but that’s not the point!” he slammed his fist down on the table, and I was taken aback to see tears beginning to leak out of his eyes. “Of course it’s a strong friendship, but he wants more than that… he’s in love with my Fernando…”

“Nobody can help who they fall in love with, Sergio”

“But Nando’s miiiine…” he moaned helplessly, going to take another sip of the drink without realising he’d already drained the glass.

“Yes, exactly. He’s yours. He loves you. Not Juan Mata. You.”

“Well… well yeah, he says that all the time… but what if he secretly prefers him over me? What if he’s –”

“I’ll bet he wouldn’t ever dream of cheating on you, Sergio. Not with Juan, not with anyone. The option’s just not there in his head. You’re the love of his life, and he doesn’t want that kind of relationship with anyone but you. So, to him, there’s absolutely nothing threatening about his friendship with Juan, because the two of you are fulfilling completely different roles in his life.”

He let out a long sigh, indicating that perhaps he saw sense in what I was saying, even though he had difficulty convincing himself of its verity. I ventured on.

“Sometimes… sometimes it doesn’t matter how many times Fernando says otherwise, if you feel like Juan is a threat, then you’re always gonna see him like that. The guy makes you uncomfortable. That’s just the way it’s always going to be. I, of all people, understand that, Sergio.”

“Do you though? Do you really?”

I shot him a grave look.

“Cesar Azpilicueta.” I said simply. “He’s a lovely guy, I’m sure, but I’m never quite comfortable with the idea of him and Eden together. Eden always tells me they’re too close as friends and that in any case, his heart belongs to me… but there’s always that part of me that doubts. I hate it so much. But that’s just how I am.” I put a consoling arm around his shoulder. “And it sounds like you’re the same, Sergio Ramos.”

He shot me a wry smile, in spite of himself.

“So, the main thing is that we just accept this is how we’re gonna feel from time to time, and we make sure it doesn’t interfere with our relationships, yeah?”

“Yeah… you’ve got a point, man”

“It doesn’t have to be a problem. We just know we have… trust issues… every now and again”

He let out a little laugh, and the ghost of his usual carefree self flashed across his face.

“God, listen to us… ‘trust issues’… We sound like mental patients”

“Yeah… or teenage bloggers” I laughed. “Listen, d’you feel like you can come over and sit with us now? We’re missing you.” I saw fear ignite in his eyes once more and I hurriedly pressed on. “You just need to be civil with Juan, that’s all. There are plenty of people you can talk to instead of him… and Fernando’s worried about you, he wants you there tonight, yeah?”

He hesitated a second. I could see the cogs turning; sense his brain overriding his natural impulse in light of my advice.

“Yeah.” He said finally, fixing me with a resolute smile. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

I brought Fernando back his usual cider. Sergio had drunk enough for the two of them tonight.

*

We remained in conversation around our table for some time, catching up with old friends and building bridges with new ones. Sergio was surprisingly animated considering the state he’d just been in – although it occurred to me that since I was the only one who’d learnt the depth of his worries, he would prefer to keep it that way, and not let anyone else sense he was feeling vulnerable. He’d pulled up a chair next to his boyfriend as soon as we’d arrived, and was being noticeably tactile, as though to silently claim Fernando as his own and ward off any advances from his compatriot. Juan, on the other hand, seemed to retreat further into himself, slumping back in his chair and observing Sergio and Fernando with a desperately sad expression. I couldn’t help but feel for him, in spite of everything Sergio had just told me.

Somewhere around ten o’clock, Eden took my hand and led me away from the group towards one of the enormous windows which looked out over the cricket pitch.

“So… this is the main part of your surprise, I guess” he said softly, directing my gaze towards the view. 

I was a little confused at first, as there didn’t seem to be anything particularly new and exciting on the field. However, within seconds, as though it awoke at his command, there was a brilliant flash of light, which zoomed up into the air and exploded in a shower of pink and white jets in the sky. It was promptly followed by another, this time in green, and another in blue. The explosions became faster and faster, being joined by others of different varieties and colours, until the sky was ablaze with dancing neon lights which burned ferociously for seconds at a time, before innocently disintegrating before our very eyes. 

“Eden…” I whispered, unable to properly formulate a response. “They’re amazing…” 

I couldn’t tell exactly where the fireworks were coming from, but they congregated in the darkness above us like delicate dandelion clocks, showering the scene in colour and light. My favourite ones snaked upwards in quick succession like a fiery Mexican wave, leaving trails of starry silver in their wake. As I watched, Eden slid an arm around my waist and pulled me tightly into him.

“Happy Bonfire Night, mon amour” he whispered. 

I wriggled around to face him, and melted into his kiss, closing my eyes as his tongue slid tenderly into my mouth. I clung onto him, sensing his deep, relaxed breathing against my body and feeling completely at home.

“Fireworks are one of my favourite things in the entire world.” I breathed as we parted. “They’re so beautiful.”

“I think so too.” He smiled. “Though not as beautiful as you.”

I broke out in a bashful grin. I wanted so much to kiss him again, but I was acutely aware of the fact the firework display could end at any second. I instead settled on snaking my arm around his waist and resting my head once more on his broad shoulder, admiring the fireworks together.

“Thank you Eden. I’m so glad you brought me here.”


	6. MARIO

MARIO

“Hey buddy”

Marco and I had shifted our seats around the table to sit next to Juan.

“Hi” he said in a blunt, monotone voice, his eyes still trained on the other two Spaniards. 

“My adorable little goofball is back!” exclaimed Fernando loudly, throwing his arms around Sergio and leaping onto his boyfriend’s knee. He was getting spectacularly drunk, which was evidently not helping things for Juan.

“Look, I know we don’t know you” began Marco “and I’m not sure what’s going on between you guys, but I could take a pretty good guess…”

“I should never have come.” Juan stated simply, still directing his speech to the back of Fernando’s head.

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you” I hated being blunt with him, but I had to say something to snap him out of his trance. 

It worked.

“No I’m – ” he jumped and finally turned to face us. “Well I… you can tell?”

“Of course we can tell.” I gave him a considerate smile. “It’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“It is when he belongs to someone else…”

We all looked over to the other two. Oh yes. Fernando most certainly belonged to someone else.

“It hurts you to see him like this, doesn’t it.”

He shot me a sardonic look. Of course it did. 

“But don’t you want him to be happy, at least?”

“Yes. That’s all I want. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. If I can’t be a part of that happiness then so be it.”

“Hey, there’s no need to think like that!” Marco punched him light-heartedly in the forearm. “You do make him happy, you two are good friends, right?”

“Yeah, I suppose I should just be grateful for that.”

“You mean the world to him, Juan” I was clutching at straws, having no real idea of how any of these relationships were functioning, but wanting more than anything to cheer up the small Spaniard. I don’t know if Fernando heard what I said, but all of a sudden, he swooped over towards us. He could barely walk in a straight line, and it appeared to be an effort to string together a coherent sentence.

“The world… I meet the world… No, you know who meanstheworld to me?” He raised his eyebrows dramatically. “This boy right here.” He threw his arms around Juan’s neck. “Juan. Juannnnn… Juan Mata, you are my best friend. The best. The best friend I’ve ever had. And don’t believe me when I say anything else because...”

He attempted to pick Juan up, staggered sideways, and had to be caught by Sergio, who had a tentative grin frozen on his face.

“Come over here Juan!” He yanked at Juan’s arm until he got to his feet and followed Fernando to the other side of the table. “I’ve got my Sese and my Matita right here… my boyfriend and my bestest best friend… and they don’t hate each other, loooooook”

Sergio enveloped the other two in a forced but nonetheless tender hug. Fernando nestled into his chest, still spouting a load of drunken crap which nobody could understand. Juan looked back over his shoulder towards us, with a little smile which I couldn’t quite read. 

I sighed a little and turned to my boyfriend. We sat in silence just looking at each other for some time. I admired the details of his face – his straight nose, his cute lop-sided smile, his captivating brown eyes.

“There’s still time for us to go and watch the fireworks if you want?” he suggested.

“I’d love to.” I grinned at him, and took his hand in mine to lead him over to the window, where Eden and Xherdan were still standing, two entwined silhouettes against a chaotic but stunning fiery backdrop.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it :) Comments or kudos would be much appreciated <3


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